“Regardless of the rumours, I will rebuff any offers unless it is an astronomical one that suits everybody.

“Would it appeal to Gary going there? I don’t know. He’s worked with Nigel before so he knows him. But to leave here, with all the things going on, to what could be a lower-end Premier League club – that would be a backward step.

“We’ve given Gary a great platform to play. He’s grown and people forget he’s only 24.

“He’s got to the point where he’s more or less on the verge of being in the England squad.

“When he was at Scunthorpe people would have said that was virtually impossible. They’d have said the same about Forster who’s already been involved at international level. That shows how far the squad have come.

“I know there is going to be people coming after them. But I keep saying to the players, ‘When you leave here it’s not the same’.

“The money is a huge carrot but at this stage of their careers football is the most important thing. The money will come. The more successful you are, the money will come anyway.”

With around £23million of Champions League cash banked and a money-spinning knock-out tie to look forward to in February, Lennon is adamant he doesn’t need to offload anyone in the New Year.

Instead, he is focused on adding to his pool, with a left-sided player a priority.

Lennon added: “I’d like to think I’ll have the final say on any sales. When Aiden McGeady was going I felt it was good business for the club.

“We are in a totally different scenario now. We’re in a position where we don’t need to sell, although everyone has a price.

“I’m confident we’ll keep everyone here in January. I don’t want them to go. I want them to see out this season and make a real fist of the four competitions we’re still in.”

Celtic face St Mirren tomorrow and Hooper will be back in the starting line-up after missing the Arbroath game sick.

Roy Hodgson’s scouts continue to monitor the striker’s progress and Lennon reckons he’ll soon be a regular in the England set-up.

He said: “He’s a goalscorer and they’re priceless. Hooper’s an intelligent player with a great first touch and he’s scored at every level.